The Anchorage Assembly will hold a special meeting Friday, July 11, to take public commentary on a new ordinance that would criminalize unauthorized camping on public property.
This comes just weeks after city crews completed an extraordinary cleanup effort at Davis Park that removed the equivalent weight of a fully loaded Boeing 747.
According to officials, the city hauled out a staggering 744,000 pounds of debris from a long-standing encampment at Davis Park in East Anchorage. The cleanup required 1,914 man-hours of municipal labor, a time and resource investment that has galvanized support among some Assembly members to bring back criminal enforcement tools to address illegal encampments.
While the total cost of the 1,914 labor hours is unknown, a rough calculation using an average city labor cost of $40–$50 per hour (including benefits) puts the clean-up cost at approximately $76,000 to $96,000 — for just one camp.
The proposed ordinance, sponsored by Assembly Members Keith McCormick, Scott Myers, and Jared Goecker, would make it a class B misdemeanor to knowingly camp on public property without permission. It specifically targets conduct, not homeless “status,” in line with the recent US Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which allows cities to criminalize public camping so long as they target actions rather than conditions.
The Assembly will hold its special session designed for public comment on the ordinance on Friday, July 11, from 1-4 pm in the Loussac Library Assembly Chambers, located at 3600 Denali Street, Room 108. Public testimony will be taken on the ordinance, listed as Item 4.A. on the agenda.
It is anticipated that the Party for Socialism and Liberation will have a strong protest presence.
Full agenda packet available here.
Title of this article should’ve // might’ve been more accurately titled:
… “Anchorage Property TAXPAYERS Paid to Remove 372-tons of Homeless Debris”
Not counting the police action and the firefighters brought in to douse the arson set in protest by the “homesteaders.” – sd
Does this surprise anyone? These “homeless” are druggies, wine-os, meth heads, mentally ill (from taking too many illegal drugs) and predators that do not want to live within the confines and rules of normal society. It is NOT incompassoinate to point this out. It’s the truth. Very few of these “persons currently experiencing homelessness” have any incentive to get the help they need and get out of homelessness – because they do not want to. Those that do not want to get out should be in API, sent home to their villages (no, it is not racist to say this) or put in jail for their crimes. There is no reason for the 99.999% of us who want to play by the rules and live in a decent society to have to put up with bums dropping their pans and dropping a deuce on the sidewalk in front of town square. THEY should be punished. Not the rest of us.
It is good to remember that the vagrants that littered Davis Park with 744,000 pounds of debris are still in Anchorage. They just moved on to different locations. The litter, damage, and unsanitary conditions they caused at Davis Park was done without consequences on the part of the vagrants. Oh there were consequences for we taxpayers, but the perpetrators of the Davis Park mess walked away scott free.
At least 100K to clean this, counting vehicles, gas, dump fees, cops, firemen etc.
That is approx enough to rent an apt for 8 people (or 16 w/ roommates) for 1 year.
“Houston … we have a Problem” (there is about 3000 of these folks)
Too bad they did not deliver it to Suzanne LaFrance’s street, with side deliveries to the Assembly members who continually place the wants of the homeless above the needs of the taxpayers.
Now I need to find a new dump site.
Police have yet to write a ticket to someone, (out of the kindness of their heart) giving money to beggars at every intersection. Opportunity to get effed up every single night for free is draining the village’s.
…and in typical fashion the assembly will hold a meeting purportedly for “public commentary” at a time (1-4PM on a workday) when most taxpayers are at work and the only ones available to “comment” are the professional protesters/activists……
“……..a rough calculation using an average city labor cost of $40–$50 per hour (including benefits) puts the clean-up cost at approximately $76,000 to $96,000……..”
The last hourly average figure I remember from cost estimates just before I retired in 2012 was $58 per hour. I’d suggest your $50 per hour is way low. I bet it’s closer to $70.
Then you can add equipment cost and the landfill cost per ton.
It’s more costly than you think.
Reggie the city of Anchorage has received almost $150M in funds for the homeless since the pandemic . Looks like it’s still a money maker . And the hobo problem is twice as bad ? Doesn’t make sense at a time when you can’t find people to work . These are mostly criminals and drug addicts that don’t adhere to the rules of society . Then the city does not enforce the property laws on the books . The city of Anchorage mayor is almost as bad as the criminals not following the laws that the city won’t enforce . There is a real deep well for funds to clean up and enforce existing laws . Shame on the mayor and the assembly
The only answer.
ZERO TOLERANCE.
Ticket, cite, fine – if fines aren’t paid – jailed.
Hilarious and infuriating both that the LaFrance admin extols on leftist media all the success they have had with the vagrant population (albeit they use ‘unhoused’). All they have done is moved people around. Zero solution.
So, who is getting the kickbacks on the cleanup costs??
What is the sense of more laws when they don’t enforce the ones they have……
In Anchorage, Alaska, littering fines can be up to $1,000, and the court may also order the offender to clean up litter in a designated area and for a specified time. A minor littering violation can be resolved with a $50 fine if paid within 30 days of the citation.
In Alaska, the penalty for littering can include a fine of up to $1,000 and a court-ordered cleanup. A person may also be sentenced to clean up litter in a designated area for a period of time determined by the court.
It’s time we just send them to a remote island in the Aleutians and let them go. They won’t be a problem for long.
The Grants Pass ruling provides guidance on removing homeless camps, the main caveat is providibg somewhere to go. MRAK readers dont seem to understand that jail costs twice as much as housing and there is inadequate funding for housing all of the homeless
The main caveat is providing somewhere to go?
If that is your understanding of the situation then man up and put out a welcome sign at your residence or property.
Problem solved.
Last time I checked, the requirement was eviscerated. It used to be you could not remove the camp unless you have sufficient space to house every vagrant, regardless of whether they wanted to go. Now, all you need is some housing.
.
And, I fully understand it costs more to jail them. But, jail is a much more effective deterrent than putting them up in a Mark Begich owned hotel for the winter. Want to do something to reduce the homeless population, make homelessness hurt.
Frank half of them are villagers . They can be sent home to their village . Village life , but not in down town Anchorage . As a casual observer driving around Anchorage and Fairbanks , mostly villagers .
Lafrance administration is predatory. They use vagrants to draw attention off whatever evil they are doing. Keep you eye over your shoulder Anchorage residents.
The ignorance of the “selected” ringleaders of this sh*t show is beyond belief.
The culpability of the consequences of voting for clowns rests entirely on the voters.
I call them out on their choices with stupid results at every opportunity but they are oblivious to see a direct connection with their choices and the results.
Soon it will be time to move on and let them burn it all to the ground.
Anchorage needs to change their respective habits. You get what you vote for.
So, it is alright for the new Anchorage administration to push back on park “Campers”, yet previous administration was admonished for the same effort? Who is making money with these changes?
If any of these sorry souls qualify for a PFD check I think that it should be forfeited to offset the costs incurred to clean up their mess